March organizer Tamitha Villarreal gets ready to lead opponents of Alabama's new immigration law on a march down Jefferson Street on their way to the Limestone County Courthouse to protest the law in Athens, Ala. Sunday Oct. 16, 2011. (The Huntsville Times/RobinConn)

ATLANTA, Georgia -- The law that put Alabama in the middle of a national debate over immigration goes before a federal appeals court in Atlanta today, pitting Alabama against the U.S. Justice Department and a coalition of civil rights groups.

A three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear 30 minutes of arguments - 15 minutes per side - by lawyers for the Justice Department and the State of Alabama. Two of the judges were appointed by Democratic presidents and one by a Republican.

The lawsuit against the state, brought by the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama and other groups, will be given 40 minutes per side.

Alabama's far-reaching immigration law was passed in June with supporters, including Gov. Robert Bentley, hailing it as the strongest such law in the country. Alabama Rep. Micky Hammon, R-Decatur, who co-sponsored the bill, said the goal was to attack every aspect of an illegal alien's life and get them to "self deport."

Several parts of the law have been temporarily blocked by federal courts, such as the portions making it illegal to rent or give a ride to an illegal immigrant.

But the majority of the 72-page law remains in place, including sections requiring police to check immigration status during traffic stops and barring illegal immigrants from conducting business with local governments.

The judges hearing the case are Beverly Martin, Charles Wilson and U.S. District Judge Richard Voorhees from western North Carolina.

Martin, a former U.S. attorney in middle Georgia, was nominated for the 11th Circuit by President Obama and was confirmed in January 2010. Wilson was a U.S. attorney for Florida's middle district from 1994 to 1999, and was nominated to the 11th Circuit by President Bill Clinton.

Voorhees was appointed to the District Court bench in North Carolina by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. He was asked to sit on the panel hearing the immigration cases by the 11th Circuit, according to the court clerk's office.

Alabama officials have said the state law is necessary because the federal government is not doing enough to enforce immigration laws. The state also contends that the laws complement federal law and are not designed to usurp federal authority.

The Justice Department filed suit in August to block the law, arguing immigration policy is the exclusive territory of the federal government.

The measure also came under immediate fire from the group of 36 plaintiffs, including civil rights groups, unions and individuals filing a lawsuit in July to try to block it.

Initially, Alabama's law would have criminalized many aspects of daily life for illegal immigrants, barring an illegal immigrant from entering a contract, renting an apartment, attending college, working or even seeking a job.

It also required schools to collect immigration information about new students and ordered that illegal immigrants be held without bond.

She blocked the measure that sought to bar harboring, transporting, encouraging or renting to illegal immigrants. That measure had been criticized by some Alabama church leaders, and brought a lawsuit by leaders of the state's Catholic, Episcopal and United Methodist churches. Blackburn said she did not think the law was aimed at churches but said the measure went further than a similar federal law.

The judge also blocked other parts of the law, including portions barring illegal immigrants from seeking work or enrolling at Alabama colleges.

The 11th Circuit went further, blocking portions that required schools to obtain immigration information and allowed a state criminal charge against immigrants who are not carrying proof of lawful residency.

But the appeals court left in place the law's requirement that police check immigration status of motorists during traffic stops and other encounters. It also left in place the law's ban on contracts with illegal immigrants and the ban on illegal immigrants entering business transactions with local and state governments.

Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange issued a guidance letter in December telling local governments to stop asking for immigration status information when issuing car tags or conducting other business until cities and counties can enroll in the federal SAVE program, which provides access to an immigration status database.